Like A Drug
by Zori-chan
Summary: “Yeah, well, lucky me, how I happen to be stuck with someone who’s blood is like a damn drug to me. Not that that’s a bad thing, or whatever, but still.” “My scent is seriously like a drug to you?” “Er…pretty much. Yes.” -Nic and Nix *inspired by Twilight
1. Flight

A pretty, slender teenage girl sat on a couch in an L.A. Orphanage. She was 15 years old, very tall, strawberry blonde with darker streaks and had big, warm brown eyes. The girl was quietly reading a book, but quickly became bored with it. She set the book down and stood up, heading into her room to get a new book. As she walked out of the door she walked into someone. A male someone.

"Gah!" he said, but managed to keep his balance.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry! Are you OK?" the girl asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." the boy shook his head. He looked to be 16...and incredibly hot, the girl noted. He was muscular and has light brown hair with darker brown streaks. He had pale skin but it wasn't a sickly pale. The most striking feature of all was probably his eyes. They were a mesmerizing light golden color.

The girl realized she hadn't seen this boy before. In all her 6 years at the orphanage she thought she knew everyone. "Are you new around here?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I've been here a while. I'd love to leave but old man Tolliver won't let me," he replied, rolling his eyes. Mr. Tolliver was the man who managed the orphanage and was very bossy.

"Oh, I thought I knew everyone around here," she shrugged. "So what's your name?"

"I don't tell anyone my name unless I know they're first."

The girl blinked and smirked in amusement. "And I thought I was paranoid. How refreshing to know there are people more paranoid than me." She saw a slight smirk appear on the boy's face for a moment…that incredibly gorgeous face. "I'm Phoenix. And you are?"

"The name's Dominic, but most people just call me Nic."

"Well its nice meeting you, but I have to go. See you around." Phoenix slipped past Dominic, not noticing an almost…hungry expression cross his face as she came closer. Dominic shook his head and walked down the hall in the other direction.

Phoenix went outside. Large stone walls were erected around orphanage grounds to keep any creeps away from the children while they played. The sun was setting. It was time to fly the coop. Literally.

She went over to the stone walls, out of view from the security cameras and found footholds in the stone and began to climb. She swung a leg over the top, then another and prepared to drop to the ground on the other side.

"Making a break for it are we?"

Phoenix nearly lost her grip in surprise but pulled herself up back into a sitting position, one leg on each side; Dominic smirking at her from the orphanage grounds.

"Can't say I blame you. I'd leave too."

Phoenix rolled her eyes as she replied, "I'm just going out for a walk around the city. I'm bored and there's nothing to do around here. I'll be back at sunrise."

"Suuuure," Nic said slowly, arms crossed as he smirked. "Whatever you say, Blondie."

Phoenix glared. "Don't call me that. The name is Phoenix."

Dominic put his hands up in mock defeat. "Fine. Have it your way, _Nix_."

Phoenix said nothing as she swung herself over the wall and let herself drop to the ground. She turned and faced the city streets, slinking down them until she came to a beautiful park with a small woods and a lake, glittering with the reflection of the starry night sky above. Phoenix breathed in the scent of the cool night air and broke out into a run, going faster than any human could ever hope to go. Right before she was about to run straight into the lake, magnificent fiery red and gold wings unfurled from her back and lifted her effortlessly into the air.

She skimmed across the lake, her wings moving powerfully through the air, the moonlight making the orange flecks and streaks in her red & gold wings glitter. How she loved to fly! She made her wings stay still as she soared, moving just a few feathers to rise up and gain altitude. Once she was high enough to be mistaken for nothing more than a regular bird did she get her fun.

She swooped around in the sky, making loops, and curling her wings in and rolling in the air before gracefully extending them and catching herself the air currents, riding the wind. She nose-dived and pulled out easily. If only she could fly out in daylight. Phoenix loved to fly. There was nothing like feeling the wind between her feathers, being so high up from the ground yet still being able to make out every detail from the ground.

Phoenix dived again, swerving and going straight into the forest, dodging and maneuvering around the trees with ease. It felt so good to stretch out her wings after keeping them tucked up tight against her back for hours on end. No one knew about her wings; she hopes no one would. If someone found out, they'd send her back…

Phoenix lost all track of time flying over and around the park. The sun rose and she pointed herself up vertically, shooting up like a rocket and extending her wings to catch the first of the sun's ray's, There was a fiery glint in her brown eyes and the sunlight set her wings aflame, her golden hair a halo around her head. She hovered there for a moment before flapping her wings to stay aloft.

The teenage bird-girl smiled. She rode the winds and ruled the sky. She always felt like a goddess up in the sky. Nothing was as fast, as strong, or as graceful in the air was she was. In fact, she was faster, stronger, more agile and more graceful than every human. Its how she was made to be.

Phoenix pulled her wings in and nose-dived to the ground. A few yards away from doing a face-plant, she snapped her wings out(ignoring the painful jarring thud from pulling them out so quickly) and pulled out of the dive, skimming along the ground and the tree line. This was bliss. Pure bliss. The park was silent. For now it was her playground. She was all alone…

"What the fuck! Phoenix?!?"

…Or not. Phoenix lifted her wings up in a way that made her skid to a halt in mid-air and whipped around, eyes wide in shock and surprise as she hovered in the air. Her gaze soon found her secret spectator. In the shadows of the forest stood Dominic, his beautiful golden eyes wide in surprise.

"How the hell…?" he blinked once…twice…and a third time.

Phoenix gently landed on the ground in front of him, her expression like that of a child who was caught with a hand in the cookie jar after being told not to.

"I guess I should explain…"

He looked at her dryly. "Ya think?"

Phoenix, folded her wings in loosely against her back through hidden slits in her clothing. "You see…I'm a genetic experiment. A human-avian hybrid. My DNA is 96.5% human and 3% avian.

"What's the other 5%?"

"I have no fucking idea."

"Fun."

"You're telling me. Look you can't tell anyone about this. If anyone finds out, I'll be sent back to the lab where I was created! And I can't go back there!"

Dominic blinked again. "Your secret is safe with me," he said softly, then gave her a lop-sided grin. "Besides? Who would believe me anyway?"

Phoenix smiled slightly then looked back up at the sky. "We should probably get back before we're too late for breakfast and old man Tolliver realizes we snuck out." Dominic nodded in agreement and the two raced through the city streets, climbing back over the walls and sneaking behind the main building where the dormitories are. Phoenix barely noticed how Dominic carefully stuck to the shadows, avoiding the rising sun's light.

"Where's your room?" Phoenix asked Nic. He pointed to a window on the top floor on the far end of the building. Phoenix nodded and lunged up into the air, unfurling her wings and swooping down, her fingernails extending into talons as she grabbed Dominic by the shoulders and lifted him into the air as if he were nothing. She hovered by his window and Dominic opened it and scrambled inside; Phoenix let him go once she was sure he wasn't going to fall.

"Dude…never again." Dominic glared at her slightly.

"What," Phoenix smirked, "afraid of heights?" Dominic merely grumbled before noticing a note on his dresser.

"Aw shit. The old man knows we snuck out. He left me a note telling me to come to his office, and to bring you if you were with me."

Phoenix silently flew to her window on the opposite end of the building, just a floor below Dominic's and slipped inside before lunging out and flying back over to Dominic. "I got the same note."

"Well we might as well go see him then." Dominic moved so Phoenix could get through the window, but she looked reluctant, gazing at the window reproachfully. "C'mon, Phoenix. Tuck in your wings and let's go. You can fly again later." Phoenix side and grabbed the windowsill with her hands, tucked in her wings and vaulted herself in.

"Let's go see the old man," she scowled and followed Dominic down the maze of hallways outside an door with a plaque on it.

**Main Office**

**Orphanage Manage:**

**Joseph Tolliver**

Dominic opened the door without knocking, and the two teens wordlessly walked inside.


	2. Questions & Revelations

**(A/N: longer than the first chapter lol. Anyway, most of the questions about Dominic's past and some things about Phoenix are answered and discovered. Enjoy!)  
**

Old man Tolliver was waiting for them, sitting as his desk with his hands folded. He was around 60 year old with graying hair and gold spectacles on his nose. He had a slightly angry look on his face, but was otherwise calm and composed as Phoenix and Dominic sat in the chairs in front of his desk. Dominic crossed his arms, looking defiant, Phoenix merely looked annoyed.

_If it wasn't for this old bag and this stupid orphanage, I could still be out flying right now,_ she thought with a slight scowl.

_Stupid old man, always telling us what to do. He's too controlling,_ Dominic thought darkly.

Mr. Tolliver's sharp voice cut through their thoughts. "Where were you two last night. You know its against the rules to leave Orphanage grounds without supervision. And don't lie and say you never left. Once I realized you were gone, I had your rooms checked ever hour on the hour."

_Damn, there goes the excuse that I was down in the hall in the bathroom when he checked my room. So what to tell him? That I was out flying over the park? I don't think so._ "I was just walking around the park. I was bored and I couldn't sleep. What's the harm from that?" Phoenix asked innocently.

"The harm is that you could have been hurt, kidnapped or worse! These streets are dangerous! You should have been sleeping. Your teachers have been complaining about you falling asleep in class too," the old man scolded her.

_Dangerous my ass. I could beat the crap out any human that tried to harm me,_ Phoenix thought with a sneer. Old man Tolliver was getting on her last nerve. Now that she'd been caught, it'd be even harder to sneak out and fly.

Dominic said nothing. He'd been caught for sneaking out tons of times before so Mr. Tolliver didn't have much to say to him except the usual.

Mr. Tolliver looked at them sternly. "Go. And don't leave the Orphanage grounds. In fact- don't even leave the building! I need to think of a suitable punishment for you two."

The two teens stood up and slipped back out into the maze of hallways. "I don't plan on listening to him, do you?" Phoenix murmured.

"Nope."

"God, I'm so sick of this place. I just want to get out of here."

"You and me both," Nic muttered.

Phoenix stopped walking and turned to face him. "So why don't we just leave?"

"They'd just track us back down."

"Not if we worked together. Isn't there some saying about two heads being better than one?"

Dominic looked at her curiously for a moment. "OK then. Fine. I'll travel with you. When do you want to leave?"

Phoenix blinked. She hadn't expected this sarcastic, rebellious boy to agree to easily. "Now. Meet me at the big oak tree once you have what you need."

Dominic nodded and they parted ways. A while later, Phoenix opened her window and lunged up, unfurling her wings and gliding over to the big oak tree. She had a backpack on; it fitted on her back in a way that it didn't interfere with her wings. Dominic was waiting for her, leaned up casually against the base of the tree. His bangs cast a shadow over his eyes and he had his hands in his pockets. He didn't bring anything with him.

He lifted his head when Phoenix landed and tucked her wings back in. "What's in the pack?"

"Just some snacks and my laptop. Now are we going to leave or just stand here and chat?"

Dominic smirked and stood up. "Someone's in a hurry." Phoenix merely rolled her eyes, and climbed over the wall again with Dominic. They agreed to find a temporary place to hide out and leave the city at night. As they skirted through the alleyways, Phoenix noted once again that Dominic stuck to the shadows, being careful to not let sunlight touch his skin.

"What's up with that?" she asked finally.

"…what's up with what?"

"You avoiding the sun. What are you, allergic to it?" Phoenix retorted sarcastically.

"Kinda."

"You are so weird. What are you anyway?"

Dominic looked over at her, uneasy. "Uh…what?"

"C'mon don't play dumb! You aren't a normal human. For one thing, you had golden eyes. No human has golden eyes! And don't say you have some rare genetic disorder that gives you golden eyes because I've seen your eyes darken to black then go light again." She almost added, "And no human is that damn hot," but luckily she held her tongue and didn't blurt that part out.

"You really want to know what I am?"

"Duh."

"And you don't have any guesses at all?"

"Dude, I've seen some REALLY bizarre things in my life so no. Now just tell me what the hell you are."

Dominic stopped and turned to face her. "Vampire."

Phoenix blinked in surprise. "Is that some kind of joke?"

"I'm serious. I'm a vampire."

Phoenix crossed her arms. "Then prove it."

Dominic rolled his eyes and muttered a "Fine." In the blink of an eye he was up the fire escape. If Phoenix didn't have enhanced raptor vision she wouldn't have even seen the blur of his movement. "No human is as fast as me." In another blur he was on the ground and ripped out a lamp post. "No human is as strong as me and I've never been tested on. Never. The changing eye color thing? Gold means that I'm no longer thirsty. If my eyes are black then I need to hunt- as in hunt for human blood." He set down the lamp post and walked back over to Phoenix. "I can't get in the sun because of the painful burning sensation. I don't sleep either. How much more proof do you need?"

_My god, a vampire. That explains some things, like the pale marble skin…_ Phoenix shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts. "That's actually kind of cool." Dominic raised an eyebrow. He had half-expected her to freak out. Phoenix went on, "And don't think that you could scare me with the fact that you're a vampire."

"I wasn't trying to. And for the record- I don't plan on doing anything to you."

So the vampire didn't want her blood. Oh goody. "Well on the off chance you lose it one day, know this: I'm just as strong and as fast as any vampire." If the 'thirst' ever drove Nic to attack her, Phoenix could fight him off. She was sure of it.

Phoenix walked on down the alley as night fell. "So how long have you been a vampire anyway?"

"Only two years. I was bit when I was 14."

"So that really is the way to become a vampire? To be bitten?"

"Well…not exactly. You see, a vampire's fangs has venom in them, like a rattlesnake. Only the venom isn't released unless we bite down hard enough. Though sometimes a starving vampire may make the venom simply from the extreme thirst. And contrary to popular belief- we don't have to kill our victims. Most vampires do, but even though I take human blood, I only take a small amount from multiple humans to that my thirst is gone and none of them are harmed."

"Well that's…interesting. So there are more of you?"

"Obviously."

"Why didn't you leave with any of them."

"I prefer to travel on my own. Besides, vampires aren't usually creatures who band together. Covens are rare. Most vampires either travel alone or in pairs."

They turned another corner in the alley and Phoenix kept up her stream of questions. She learned that the vampire who bit Dominic was actually another kid at the orphanage. The two had never gotten along and when they got in a fight, the kid bit Dominic and turned him into a vampire. The kid was later adopted ("I bet his new parents LOVED to find out that he was a little bloodsucker," Phoenix commented with a grin.)

"What was it like? Becoming a vampire I mean."

"Painful. Worse than being in the sun."

"…try a different comparison. I love the sun."

"Well what's the most painful thing that ever happened to you?"

Phoenix thought for a moment, and for the first time in a long time, she remember her life a the lab. "When I had a steel lance stabbed through my heart." She could remember that day clearly. They'd chained her up and slowly plunged the lance through her heart. The pain was excruciating, and death was a welcome blessing.

"Well times that by ten and you know what its like to become a vampire. Wait- how would you be able to survive getting stabbed through your heart with a lance?" Dominic glanced at her, confused, the night casting shadows across his handsome face and his golden eyes lit up the darkness.

Phoenix sighed. "Its one of my abilities. The lab discovered it when I was an infant. They were testing my immune system with diseases they created- fatal diseases. Well apparently one of those diseases actually did kill me. Before the scientists could do anything to my body, it burst into flames and I was re-created from my ashes, in the same state I was before I died only immune to the disease. After that, they tested the many ways I could die. Stabbing, crushed, suffocations, beheaded, all my limbs torn off at once, the iron maiden, bullets, you name it- they used it to kill me. Every time I burst into flames and was recreated from my ashes, just like the phoenix from Greek mythology. The only thing that CAN'T kill me is natural diseases, poisons, and blood loss." She looked at the ground as she spoke.

Dominic couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for her, he hadn't fully grasped where she came from, and just how bad it was there. He noticed a shed behind a tall sky scraper. "C'mon, lets hide out in there. The sun's about to come up."


	3. Friendship

**(A/N: The next few chapters will be more interesting, I promise *winks*)**

Once inside the shed, Dominic found a dark corner. They didn't know or care who the shed belonged to, they just needed to hide out until the sun set again. Phoenix sat down, took off her backpack, unfurled her wings and began preening them. She removed some feathers and straightened out others. Naturally, she still had questions for Dominic.

"So is that whole thing about vampires being able to turn into bats true too?"

Dominic actually laughed. "Hell no! That only started because some vampires have special abilities. You know that Dracula guy? The one everyone associates with vampires? Well he really was a vampire and when he was changed he gained the ability to turn into a bat. The theory is that when a vampire changes, an ability or obsession from they're human life is carried over. So like, someone with a really strong mind could become telepathic or telekinetic. Dracula had a thing for bats, so when he was changed he was able to turn into one. Although some vampires just gain abilities for no apparent reason."

"So do you have a special ability?"

"Yeah, if you want to call it that. I can morph into a black panther."

"Sweet. So…how did you end up at the orphanage? I mean, what happened to your parents?"

"They were killed by a murderer. The guy that killed them is dead now but I was too young to remember it. After they're death, there was some confusion about a relative to take me in, none of them could be tracked down or they were dead too. So I was put in the orphanage until someone came to claim me. No one did."

"Oh…I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Well what about you? Where are your parents?"

Phoenix looked out the window. "To be honest, I have no idea. I don't even know if I have parents. I grew up in a freaking dog crate. I could be a test tube baby for all I know. My parents could easily be a couple of the twisted scientists and only created me for the sake of putting wings on my back and putting me through cruel torture and testing every day. But I don't care. If they're scientists, they're not worth crying over. And if they just happened to be a nice human couple who lost a baby, well, its not like I can go up to them and say 'Hey I'm the daughter you lost 15 years ago. Now I'm a genetic freak with wings and every time I die, I burn up and come back to life!' Yeah that conversation would go down REAL well."

Dominic blinked sympathetically at her, but he didn't know what to say. "So how did you end up at the orphanage?"

"I managed to escape the scientists and the lab when I was nine. Once on the streets I knew where to look. I needed to find a place with tons of other kids. The lab would expect me to find a more secluded place- actually that is was instinct was telling me. I don't like crowds and the risk of someone discovering my wings by accident would be too high in a public place. I found the orphanage and got old man Tolliver to take me in. The lab hasn't come close to finding me in six years."

"Why would 'instinct' be telling you anything?"

"Why do you think? Technically, I'm only part human. The other part is bird and something else. That and I'm claustrophobic, growing up in a dog crate does that to you. But because of my avian DNA I got much more than wings. Hollow bones, air sacs below my lungs so I can fly at high altitudes, my blood has nuclei in it like a birds, magnetic sensors so I don't get lost, raptor-like vision, enhanced hearing and of course, the animal instinct. I pretty much have an extreme and literal 'fight or flight' response. I just seem to know when danger is around, when something is safe and when something isn't- even who I can trust and who I can't."

Dominic smirked slightly. "So what category do I fall in?"

"You don't seem that dangerous to me."

"You're definitely not human. Most humans seem to be able to sense that they should stay away from me, they don't know why they just do."

Phoenix shrugged. "I'm not picking up any 'stay away from blood-sucking vampire' vibes over here so its all good."

"So do you have any special abilities? Other than the 'recreated from your ashes' thing."

"Yeah, regenerative abilities. Wounds that don't kill me heal over instantly. If a limb is cut off, like an arm or a wing, it instantly grows back. If I lose any blood, my body automatically makes the right amount to replace it and broken bones mend perfectly." Dominic didn't need to know about another ability of hers…

"Interesting."

"Isn't it? So obviously I can't die permanently but what about you? How do you kill a vampire?"

Dominic blinked, his liquid golden eyes once again shadowed by his bangs. "Its very hard to kill a vampire. The only way you can be absolutely sure that a vampire is dead, is to rip him apart and burn him."

"Stakes and garlic don't work?"

"Nope. Never did."

The two fell silent, wrapped in their thoughts. Night fell and they slipped out of the shed only to see two figures coming down the path. Both looked to be older teenagers, nearly in they're twenties and they'd already seen Phoenix and Dominic. One doesn't need to know the full details of this encounter, but one of the teenagers- a sharp-tongued obnoxious blonde19 year old boy- was under the impression that Nic and Nix had been in the shed to make out. There were streams of insults and accusations, Phoenix nearly punched the blonde but Dominic held her back. The other teen, a black haired 19 year old, seemed more diplomatic and let the pair go.

Once they were away from the shed Phoenix muttered, "I thought you said that guys who lived in that skyscraper and owned the shed were billionaires?"

"They are."

"Sure didn't look like it."

"Looks can be deceiving."

"No freaking duh."

They slinked around the city for a while. Dominic noticed that Phoenix was getting tired and suggested that they wait before leaving the city. Phoenix agreed reluctantly and they found an abandoned alley. They talked for a while longer and Phoenix learned Dominic could come out in the day if that sun was hidden by the clouds, so Phoenix suggested traveling north and finding a city that tended to have crappy weather to stay in. Dominic thought it sounded like a good idea and they talked about other things. They had a lot in common it seemed; both were silently thinking that maybe they'd each found a friend. It wasn't long until Phoenix drifted off to sleep in the corner of the alley.


	4. The Tracker

**(A/N: Yay cliffhanger ending! had to edit because I screwed up in the Document Manager and had multiple chapters in one. Oopsies!)**

Dominic blinked. He hadn't noticed at first that Phoenix was asleep. She looked so peaceful, curled up in the corner with her wings wrapped around her. Her side bangs fell over one eye, and she seemed almost…vulnerable. He shook his head. He needed to go hunt. He turned and ran out of the alley in a flash then skulked around the dark city.

It wasn't long before he found a lone teenager in another alley. He sneaked up behind the human and sank his fangs into the side of her neck, careful not to release any of the venom. The human never knew what happened. He backed away when he was down and the girl collapsed, unconscious but not dead. Dominic looked up at the sky. It was a full moon that night and it was high in the sky. He had better go back to Phoenix and wake her up so they could leave the city.

He was back into Phoenix's alley in seconds. She hadn't moved in her sleep and looked as peaceful as ever. She was in a deep dreamless sleep. Should he really wake her? The wind changed, sending her scent towards him. Dominic clenched his fists.

_Not again…_he thought. _How can one person's scent do this?!_ He could feel the thirst slowly rising up again from her scent, he tried breathing through his mouth but it didn't work. He could still taste Phoenix's sweet scent on his tongue. Her scent and her blood. He'd never scented anything like it. She smelled of warm vanilla, but with a hint of the forest after a heavy rain. Dominic turned away. At least it wasn't as bad as the first time he scented her. That day in the hallway when she ran into him had taken all his self control not to lunge at her right then. After that encounter he felt like he needed to see her again and caught her sneaking out of the orphanage. Although, he hadn't expected to see her in the park…flying…

Dominic turned away, and he was relieved to get some "fresh" air, though part of him didn't mind Phoenix's scent, but he couldn't risk the thirst getting out hand to a point where he attacked her. She was becoming his friend and he didn't want to lose her friendship.

"…Nic?" a soft musical voice filled the quiet air. Dominic turned back around. Phoenix had woken up and she was blinking at him.

"Hey."

Phoenix shook her head slightly and stood up, folding in her magnificent wings. "Sorry I fell asleep. We could have gotten out of here sooner if I hadn't…"

_God that scent!_ "Its OK. I needed to hunt anyway. We can go now if you like."

Phoenix nodded and they walked out of the alley. Dominic was careful to stay behind her so that she was upwind of him. "Mind if we go faster?" Phoenix called to him. Dominic shook his head no and Phoenix bolted, Dominic quickly racing after her. She wasn't kidding when she said she was just as fast as any vampire, but if Dominic went full speed he could pass her. Even so, she was still fast. Dominic had no doubt that any humans out didn't even see them as they streaked through the city. They raced out of city limits and as soon as the city was behind them, Phoenix unfurled her 13-foot wings and they lifted her into the sky.

Dominic let his gaze follow her into the sky. Seeing a person with wings flying into the air really was something, and incredibly surreal. Dominic remembered how they looked like they were on fire in sunlight. Her wings were fiery red, with gold feathers at the ends and orange flecks and streaks and they moved powerfully through the air.

Dominic shook his head again, running along the ground as she flew directly over him. At least when she was in the air, he scent wasn't a problem…for a while anyway. The winds picked up and Dominic nearly groaned when he caught Phoenix's delicious scent again. He halted by a tree. They'd already covered a lot of ground.

He heard a soft _whoosh_ as Phoenix swooped down and landed in front of him. She looked concerned.

"Are you OK?" she asked with her musical voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Its just a head-ache." The winds were picking up as Nic caught Phoenix's scent again and winced slightly.

Phoenix looked disbelieving but shrugged it off. "Well a storm's coming. We should probably find a place to hide quick. I saw what looked like an entrance to a cave not far from here."

_A storm, lovely,_ he thought sarcastically. "Sounds great. I'll follow you there."

Phoenix nodded and lunged up, taking flight again. She didn't fly as high as she did earlier, staying low to the ground as she shot through the air, just barely above the treetops. Dominic ran beneath her, darting around the trees. They soon came to the side of a mountain- they really HAD traveled far from Los Angelus- and he saw the opening she talked about. He shot through the crevice, the tunnel was narrow but it soon opened up into a cavern. It wasn't very large but it was large enough that you could stand up without hitting your head on a stalactite. It was probably only 20 feet long and 15 feet wide.

He leaned up against the side of the cave as Phoenix came in. He wondered why it took her longer to get through the tunnel when he remembered that she was claustrophobic. She leaned up against the wall next to him.

"I guess we'll be stuck in here until the storm blows over, or until sunset," she said.

"Yeah," he agreed. The two teens sat in silence for a while, listening to the raging storm outside. The occasional flashes of lightning lit up the cave. The only good thing about being stuck in the cave was that the wind didn't get through the blow Phoenix's scent towards Dominic.

Phoenix spoke again. "Do vampires have anything against fire? You know, like can you be around it?"

"Well, yeah. But it can burn us just like any other human."

"Good because I'm freezing." She held out a hand and a fireball shot out from her palm onto the stone ground, the flames sustaining themselves as a fire without any logs and such.

Dominic eyes widened slightly, but fire powers were not unheard of. Still, he hadn't expected Phoenix to have them. He wondered if she had any other abilities that she'd hidden from him? He slid down to the sit on the ground, his back leaned up against the wall still. Phoenix slid down next to him, her arm lightly brushing against his when she flinched away.

"What the hell!"

Dominic turned to her. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Dude your skin! Jeez, I guess I'm not the only one freezing around here. Its like ice!"

He blinked, at first not registering what has surprised her. "Oh! That! Yeah, it just comes with being a vampire."

"So…do you get cold or not?"

"Nah we still feel hot and cold the same way humans do- we just have a lower body temperature." Noticing the look on her face he added, "Ok, a freakishly lower body temperature."

Phoenix settled back into her sitting position, surprisingly keeping her wings folded in as they waited for the storm to end. Dominic was careful to breath through his mouth but he could feel the thirst rising from her scent. The storm was dying down…he had better go hunt before he go too out of control. "I'll be back soon," he muttered, "I need to hunt." Without waiting for a response, he quickly slipped out of the cave.

He soon quenched his thirst. His eyes were becoming a light, pale gold when he came across and familiar scent. He whipped around to see a 17 year old striding out of the forest into the clearing, towards him. His shaggy blond hair was being blown by the fierce wind, his pale skin like porcelain, his red eyes dark and outlined with blue. Dominic snarled, "Cauis."

Cauis smirked. "Dominic. How lovely to see you again. You know why I'm here. And the coven is getting tired of waiting for you to come around. Aalix wants an answer- and he wants it now."

"How did you even find me?!"

"I'm a tracker, remember? Besides, Aalix saw you back in LA behind a building with some girl. I might add that the girl had _wings_. Point is, Aalix wants you in the coven"

"I'm not going to join the coven. Not now, not ever. So scram and tell Aalix that he can sod off!"

The blonde vampire shook his head. "Temper, temper. Now if it was me, then I'd just have you killed. But Aalix really wants your powers; I guess this is what you get when you can copy powers from others."

Dominic growled. He really hated this guy. He heard a rusting in the bushes behind him but he thought nothing of it.

"The coven is sick of waiting around for you, Dominic. You're one of us and you're going to have to deal with it before things get ugly."

A musical voice floated above the fierce winds of the dying storm. "Last time I checked, Dominic wasn't a part of any group and he doesn't listen to pompous idiots like you."

Both Dominic and Cauis turned sharply towards the voice, the winds blasting the scent towards both of them. Phoenix strode up next to Dominic, eyes narrowed at Cauis.

Cauis curled his lip and sneered- there was another look in his eyes as he gazed at Phoenix that Dominic couldn't place. He clearly didn't like the fact that he was outnumbered. "This isn't over. I'll be back." He turned and disappeared into the forest.

Phoenix rounded on Dominic. "What the hell was going on? What coven were they talking about?"

Dominic didn't have to look in a mirror to know that his eyes were black. "I-I'll explain later. Please just go before I do something I regret." He clenched his fists, using all his self control not to lunge at her right now, to sink his fangs through the soft flesh of her neck and consume her sweet blood…Phoenix gave him a long look before nodding and lunging up, taking flight and heading back towards the cave and Dominic resumed the hunt.

Later, as he neared the cave he picked up a scent trail. _Cauis!_ It was fresh and heading in the direction of the cave where he and Phoenix had been hiding. _Why was he_- suddenly the look on his face earlier made sense and Dominic felt like the biggest idiot in the world. He broke out into a run, racing towards the cavern entrance. _I hope I get there in time! Ugh I'm so stupid! Cauis is going to hunt Phoenix!_


	5. Drugs

**(A/N: If you've read one of my other stories, then something in this chapter may seem familiar....Oh and something else should give you a de-ja-vu moment *cough* summery *cough* lolz)**

Phoenix flew back to the cavern entrance. She folded in her wings and slipped inside. Her fire was out but she didn't mind. When she was alone, she always stayed much warmer, but being in a cold damp cave next to an ice-cold vampire didn't help the heat issue much. She leaned up against the cavern wall and closed her eyes. The cavern was completely silent.

Suddenly she felt herself being pinned to the wall, her wings crushed painfully against the stone, and the strangest sensation came over her, as if her body was being frozen in place. Her eyes snapped open to see Caius leering at her, his black eyes gazing hungrily.

Phoenix narrowed her eyes. "Get away from me!" She wanted to kick him away but found she couldn't move. Caius grinned wickedly and leaned towards her neck, fangs exposed as he prepared to bite…

Flames shot up around Phoenix, burning Caius as he lunged back, yelping. Phoenix growled darkly, "What are you doing here?"

Caius spat, "What do you think I'm here for? I want your blood and I plan to get it before Dominic does."

"What are you talking about?"

Caius rolled his eyes. "Oh please don't tell me that you honestly think he has control, do you? He's just biding his time, waiting to attack you. He's faking his control. He wants your blood too, but I'm going to get it first!" He lunged at her without warning and sank his fangs deep into her neck, quickly consuming some of her blood.

Phoenix kicked him away harshly- he hadn't bothered to paralyze her this time- and the bite wound healed over instantly. "Yeah right, if Dominic wanted to attack me then he would have done it by now!" she snarled. She looked around for ways to get an advantage but felt dismay. She'd have trouble fighting him in a cave- if she tried to fly then she'd impale herself and she usually wasn't a good fighter on the ground; she won her fistfights were humans out of brute strengths but even then she was holding back so she didn't give herself away.

Caius growled, his eyes still black with thirst yet rimmed with red, and lunged for her again. But before her could reach her, a dark shape slammed into him and pinned him to the neck by the wall.

"Dominic!" Phoenix cried, relieved.

Dominic glared at Caius. Caius curled his lip and kicked Nic away. The two lunged at each other again and Dominic threw the blond vampire into one of the cavern walls. "Get out," he spat. Caius looked between Dominic and Phoenix, both who were giving him hostile glares. He hissed as he slunk out of the cavern, his gaze never leaving Phoenix.

Dominic watched Caius leave before he turned to Phoenix. "Are you OK?"

She nodded. "Yeah I'm fine."

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here. I didn't think he'd come after you-"

"Nic, its fine. Don't beat yourself up about it. I didn't think he's come after me, either. You got here, that's the important thing, right?"

He nodded and sighed. "I guess."

Phoenix hesitated for a moment. "Your headaches…they aren't really headaches at all, are they?"

Dominic nodded again. "It figures that I'd end up being around someone who's scent is like a damn drug to me."

"…My scent is seriously like a drug to you?"

Dominic winced. "Er, pretty much. Yeah." _Damn, I didn't mean to say that out loud._

"I guess Caius wasn't kidding then…well partly anyway."

Dominic looked at her sharply. "What exactly did Caius say?"

"That you were just biding your time and waiting to attack me, you didn't really have control blah blah blah he wanted to get to me before you did, etc etc. Pretty much a bunch of crap in between the lunging at me. What's your deal with that guy anyway? And who is Aalix?"

Dominic clenched his fists. "I'll explain later. Lets just get out of here before Caius decides to come back." Without waiting for Phoenix, he turned and left the Cavern. Phoenix quickly followed. Outside the cavern, Dominic broke into a run while Phoenix unfurled her wings and took flight, flying over him.

She flew low to the ground. "Dominic…would it be easier if I left? For you, I mean…my scent…"

"Don't worry about it. I'm over it." He sped up. Phoenix nodded and rose back up in the sky, but she didn't quiet believe him. Could it really be that easy to "get over it"? She sighed and looked to the horizon. The edges of the sky were beginning to look slightly purple. It wouldn't be long until the sun rose. The winds were gone as the storm had past.

Dominic seemed to know where he was going, as Phoenix followed him. He must have already know about a place to hide. So many questions were going through her head and she was going to get answers even if she had to beat them out of Dominic. He stopped in front of an abandoned cabin and she landed next to him, folding in her wings.

"We can stay here," he said. "Its in good shape and no one lives here anymore. I came across it while I was hunting one time." Dominic opened the door, letting Phoenix in before going inside himself and closing the door.

Phoenix looked around. "Not bad…"

Dominic looked out the window, eyes narrowing in thought. "Phoenix…?"

"Yeah?"

"Exactly how hard did Caius bite you?"

Phoenix thought it was a strange question. "Um…pretty hard I guess. It kinda hurt at first, actually. He was digging his fangs into my neck. Why?"

"Well…if he bit you as hard as you say, then that means that he released vampire venom into you."

"So?"

Dominic turned towards her. "Then why aren't you in pain? Yelling out that you feel as if you're on fire? If you have the venom in your system, then you should be turning into a vampire right now. I can only think of a few reason why not. Maybe for some reason you just aren't feeling the pain, perhaps you're immune or….or maybe its something else…something that I don't know about." He narrowed his eyes slightly in confusion.

"Well…it could just be me. You know how I said poisons, venoms and such couldn't kill me? Well that was because my body neutralized their effects and made them harmless. It could be that the same thing happens with vampire venom, so it doesn't effect me and turn me into a vampire."

"Hm…that's a possibility."

"Well I hope I don't become a vampire. I wouldn't be able to stand avoiding the sun all the time."

"Its really not so bad. You get used to it after a while."

Phoenix skeptically raised an eyebrow. "Hmpth. Whatever you say." Her gaze fell on her laptop and she got an idea. "A little off topic but…how good are you at hacking?"

Dominic raised an eyebrow slightly in curiosity. "…it depends. Why?"

"Well when I left the lab I stole one of their laptops, but I could never hack into the files. Do you think you could?" _If I could get into these files, then maybe I could find out more about where I came from._

"Sure." Dominic went over to a chair and sat down, opening the laptop and turning it on. Phoenix looked over his shoulder as he typed in codes and other computer things that seemed like a foreign language to her. Five minutes later, he had successfully hacked into the computer. "What sort of files are you looking for?"

"The ones about their avian-human recombinant life forms."

Dominic nodded and found the file, clicking on it. He got up from the chair when the file opened and let Phoenix slide into it so she could better look through the file. She searched through the file until she found the information about herself. She found out how she had been turned into a mutant freak; the doctors at the hospital were actually working with the Lab and tricked her mother so they could inject the avian- DNA into her while she was still developing. Then when she was born they took her away and told her parents( a Mr. and Mrs. Rising) that she was dead. That's when she was taken away to the lab and her life in hell began. She found that there were many others like her, or at least there used to be. Now there were only three more birdkids like her. And-

"Well?" Dominic's voice cut through her racing thoughts. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Phoenix nodded, blinking. She glanced at Dominic. He was giving her a look that clearly indicated that he wanted to know if she was up for telling. "I, um, found out what that other .5% of my DNA is."

"Well what is it?"

"Lioness."

"Lioness? That's cool."

"And there are others like me. There used to be 40 of us all together but 36 of them died for one reason or another. Now there's just 4 left. Apocalypse, Armageddon, and Tribulation."

"Those are some pretty strange names."

"Yeah, its part of what the lab had designed us to do. I swear, these guys are like Hitler's fan club." Phoenix turned to look at Dominic as he raised an eyebrow. "The 40 avian hybrids were supposed to be like an army, all with these insane powers. The two "leaders" were supposed to be Armageddon and Apocalypse, with Tribulation and myself- apparently the lab has a name for me too, Resurrection- as Second-In-Command. The lab had designed us so that we could take over the world, let it crash and burn and hand over the ashes to whatever dictator the lab had sold us to."

**(A/N: Wanna know the story of Armageddon, Apocalypse, Tribulation, and the labs crazy "take over the world" plan? Then check out my other story _Angels & Demons_! Note that _A&D _is still in progress)**


	6. Split

**(A/N: sorry for the lack of updating. I had exams and I got lazy...so yeah...enjoy...Dominic isn't mine he belongs to BlueyWolf on deviantart...just thought I'd get that out of the way...Review please!!)**

Dominic blinked at her and Phoenix decided to change the subject to avoid questions about something she didn't know too much about. "Tell me what's the story behind Caius and Aalix."

Dominic sighed, he'd hoped he wouldn't have to explain right now but he went on anyway. "Well like I said earlier, Caius is a tracker. Once he makes you his target then its impossible to escape him. He always acts like he's better than me, so we never got along. Aalix is the leader of the Sayel Coven. My sister- well, my half-sister- told him about me and my powers; I can take powers from other people and use them for myself. Ever since then he's been trying to get me to join them. He usually sends Caius after me to get an answer and its always been 'No'."

He went over by the window and leaned against it, narrowing his eyes.

Phoenix came up next to him. "What is it?"

"Caius. He's out there."

"Do you think he'll attack again?"

"No. He's just watching to see if we're staying here permanently or not."

Phoenix narrowed her eyes. "Well if he does try to attack me, I'll be ready." _I'm not going to let him bite me again._

Dominic looked at her sharply. "Caius won't be getting within 5 feet of you. I wont' let him. He'll have to get through me first." His eyes flashed a darker color.

Phoenix blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected Dominic to suddenly become so…protective. _Why should he suddenly feel like he needs to protect me from Caius? Its my problem, not his. He has no reason to even want to protect me._

Dominic looked away from her, staring back out the window into the forest. He wordlessly left the room and went to stand on the porch arms crossed. Phoenix noticed that his eyes had steadily become black in color. She followed him out to the porch and stood in the doorway.

"Look, if you need to go hunt, then hunt. I'll be fine on my own."

Dominic hesitated before he nodded and muttered, "Thanks." He slinked off into the forest. Phoenix turned back into the cabin. Dominic walked through the forest, beginning to feel uneasy, as though he was being watched. He came to a clearing and stopped as a voice said cut through the air.

"Hello, Dominic."

He whipped around for see a slightly 18 year old with shaggy blonde hair, slightly tanned skin and blue-gold eyes with a scar going down his right eye and eyebrow, Caius standing next to him.

Dominic narrowed his eyes. "What do you want, Aalix? And what's Cauis doing here?"

"The same thing that I always want: You in my Coven. And I'll get it one way or another." Caius slipped past them both, heading for the house. "And of course Caius wants the bird-girl's blood." Aalix lunged at Dominic, slamming into him.

Dominic kicked him off, scoring his fangs across Aalix' skin. Aalix punched him in the face, biting down hard on Dominic, releasing venom into him. Since Dominic was already a vampire, the venom merely sent pain shooting through him. Dominic through him off into a tree. Aalix rebounded off it, coming back at Dominic, grabbed him by the arm and twisted it behind his back painfully. Aalix slammed him repeatedly into a tree then pinned Dominic to the ground. Dominic was loosing and he know it as Aalix injected more venom into him, pain flaring throughout every core of his body.

"Fine! I'll join your Coven!"

Aalix backed off and stood up, smirking. "I knew you would."

Dominic. "But on one condition."

Aalix smiled. "Name your price."

************

Phoenix felt uneasy in the house. It felt as though the walls were closing in on her and getting smaller. _Stupid claustrophobia…_ She was usually OK in rooms, it was only small, cramped spaces that bothered her. But not it seemed as if every fiber of her being was screaming, "Run! Fly away! Get into the sky!"

Frustrated, she flung open the window and lunged out, unfurling her wings. The same moment she did, something crashed into her, pulling at her wings and dragging her down to the ground. She twisted, shaking off her attacker and straightened herself in the air. She shot up to a safe distance and looked down, then let out a snarl. _Caius!_

Caius's eyes were dark, but not quite black as Phoenix swooped down and lifted him in the air. "You aren't getting my blood this time, creep!" Caius went to punch her in the stomach but she merely threw him to the ground and sent him skidding, making a small trench in the ground.

Caius got back up to his feet and raced at her. Phoenix rammed into him and grabbed him, spinning him around then releasing him to he went flying into the trees. He a crashed _through_ them. It had to hurt. This fight between them was far different than they're previous fight. Now it was Phoenix that had the upper hand.

With Caius out of the way, she flew off. She could scent Dominic and he wasn't alone. She landed in the clearing next to him, barely glancing at Aalix. "Dominic, are you all right?"

Dominic looked at her coldly. "I'm fine." He pulled away from her. "I don't need you, Phoenix. I'm joining Aalix's Coven."

Caius slinked out of the underbrush. Aalix stopped him and whispered something to him before he could lunge at Phoenix and resume the fight. Caius curled his lip but nodded.

When Aalix's attention was distracted, Dominic cast Phoenix a look. She caught his eye and realized what was going on. "Whatever, Dominic. You'd only hold me back. Unlike you, I'm not stuck to the ground all the time." She narrowed her eyes at him, hiding the hurt she felt inside. But now she'd be free from Caius. Dominic was joining the Coven to protect her…

"Pugh, whatever." Dominic scoffed.

"I won't be seeing you around, leech," Phoenix spat. This was all an act for Aalix. They had to make him think that they really were splitting. She tried to give Dominic a look to let him know she understood but she wasn't sure if he got it. Phoenix unfurled her wings and flew off like a bullet. She didn't dare look back at Dominic but she somehow just knew that he turned away and followed Aalix and Caius back to wherever the Coven was located.

She wasn't quite sure for how long she flew but eventually she circled back to the city of LA. She landed in a dark alley and folded in her wings. She would go back to the cabin late, but not now.

For the next few weeks Phoenix would worry about Dominic. She usually kept to herself in the forest but sometimes when she was in crowds, she would search the faces for his. Phoenix missed him so much, she couldn't truly understand why. She just wanted him to come back somehow. He was her friend, her only friend, and she was lonely without him. But at the same time, Phoenix was grateful that Dominic would join a group that he hated just to protect her from Caius- though in all honesty, she didn't think that she needed the protection.

Phoenix wasn't used to fighting with beings that were just as strong as her, but she'd begun to adapt after that first fight with Caius. It must be because she'd been designed to survive, no filthy vampire would beat her.

**(A/N: Hopefully chapter 7 will come more quickly. I'm also updating and adding more chapters to Hidden Identity and Diary of a Wolfe so check them out!)**


	7. The Coven

**(A/N: The next chapter is finally here! And from Nic's POV to! :) the next chapter will be fun to write...)**

Dominic followed Aalix and Caius through the forest, heading to the Coven Headquarters'. So much for never joining the Coven. He felt terrible for having to leave Phoenix, but this was for her safety. He knew that she couldn't die but even so…he didn't want her constantly on the run from Caius. It was obvious that she wasn't the best fighter when it came to fighting vampires, despite her strength. She'd probably gone soft, holding back in any fist-fights against humans so that she didn't accidentally kill them.

At least she knew that he didn't really hate her. In all honesty, he wasn't sure exactly how he felt about her. Dominic knew he cared for Phoenix…but it was just all to tempting to sink his fangs into the soft flesh of her neck. Her scent was so sweet, so tempting. It took all his self control not to attack her and she was his best friend. He didn't want anything to happen to Nix. He just hoped that sometime in the future, he could leave the Coven without endangering her, and that she would forgive. And of course, it wasn't until after he made the deal with Aalix that he realized that Phoenix could be recaptured by the Lab.

Dominic had been so lost in thought, that he didn't notice when the other two vampires stopped, and he walked right into them.

Caius hissed, "Watch where you're going, dumb-shit!"

Aalix merely rolled his eyes at Caius and turned to Dominic. "This is the entrance to our hideout."

The three vampires were standing in front of a metal door on a brick building with spray paint across it and the windows boarded up. They were on the darker, more ghetto side of LA- the side that most people tend to ignore unless they have some…business to take care of(like buying drugs, dealing with gangs, looking for prostitutes blah blah blah).

"The hide-out is in this dump? I didn't know that you had such low standards, Aalix," Dominic said coolly.

Aalix laughed and Dominic blinked in surprise. "You should know that everything is not as it seems," he chuckled and opened the door.

Dominic regained his composure as the door opened, surprised yet again. _The building's a fake- solid!_ Indeed, for instead of the door opening into a room, it opened to a stairway going down into an inky-black abyss with stone walls on either side and on the ceiling. The entire building was probably completely solid except for where the stairway led. Dominic warily followed Aalix, Caius behind him. He could hear faint conversation coming from below.

The stairs leveled out into an underground tunnel, lamps on either side that lit up the darkness. They continued to walk through the tunnel and the dirt floor beneath their feet became lush, fancy red carpet. The tunnel opened up into a large room with other adjoining hallways and rooms. In the main room there was a fancy couch, a big screen TV and a large table with four chairs centered around it. Vampires were milling around, glancing at Dominic and Aalix. It seemed that some of the doors led to rooms- why vampires needed bedrooms, he didn't know. He barely used his own bedroom back at Whammy's.

"Avril!" Aalix called out.

A gorgeous, tall, slender teenage girl lifted her head and walked over to Aalix. Her crimson eyes were rimmed with violet, and her slightly wavy chocolate-brown hair cascaded past her shoulders, with her side-bangs falling in front of one eyes. She wore a purple and hot pink shirt with the Famous Stars and Stripes logo on it, grey shaded skinny jeans, black leather boots, purple and pink striped arm bands that came up to her elbows(with holes for her thumbs), and a studded belt that was slanted across her waist. There was also a silver amulet with a large, purple amethyst stone hanging from it, set in silver.

"Yes, Aalix?" she answered with a silky-smooth voice. Her gaze slid over to Dominic, then back to Aalix. "I see that you finally convinced him to join us."

"All thanks to you, of course. Why don't you show your brother around?"

"Of course," Avril dipped her head and turned to Dominic. Caius and Aalix walked off and she smirked at Dominic

Dominic glowered at his half-sister. She had the gift of sight and probably engineered the entire plan to get him to join the Coven- she was very manipulative.

"Oh lighten up, Dominic. I think you'll grow to like the Coven and all its perks."

"Perks? What perks?"

"You see that table with the four chairs?"

"…yeah…"

"Well that's where the top four members of the Coven sit and plan things. They rule over the Coven even though Aalix is the leader. The other three are the vampires he considers most useful to him."

"So who are they?" Dominic was still trying to see how this was relative to the Coven's "perks".

"Aalix, Caius- trackers ARE among the most useful members of a Coven- and myself."

Of course. It figures that Avril would have wormed her way into a position of power. She was also very ambitious and cunning besides being a manipulative bitch. She and Dominic shared the same father. She'd tracked him down and learned that he was a vampire not long after he'd been bitten. Ever since then she'd been trying to become a vampire herself, she saw the effects of being bitten- the strength, the speed, the powers- as a blessing, not a curse, and she wanted it for herself. Though Dominic refused to bite her even though she'd asked him.

Avril smirked. "You're the fourth vampire."

Dominic snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, right Avril. Now seriously- tell me who the fourth vampire is so that I don't get my ass kicked."

"Dominic I'm serious. YOU are the 4th vampire in charge of the Coven. Aalix would be stupid not to have you at his side. He wanted you for years because of your powers- he's practically reserved the spot for you. Of course, they're even a ranking among the four and you're at the bottom- only to be expected."

Dominic blinked- Avril wasn't lying. He _really_ didn't want this. He shook his head and changed the subject. "You know, I hadn't expected to see you here. I mean, I know you told Aalix all about me but…I didn't know you were a vampire."

"I'm still a newborn- I only became a vampire just after I turned 16."

Dominic at least 6 months older than Avril, and his birthday would be in another three so…Avril became a vampire right around the time that Aalix found out about him. "Aalix did it, didn't he. He changed you into a vampire." His eyes narrowed slightly. _Most likely in return for the information she just gave him_.

Avril smirked again. "Naturally. Besides, he saw potential and he doesn't regret doing it. Telepathy, visions of the future, forcing excruciating pain on a victim without even touching them- no doubt he thinks that he got the better end of the deal. You could say that he got two for the price of one."

Dominic frowned slightly. "Hmpth…well…"

"I'll leave you be," she said smoothly and sauntered off.

Dominic sighed and sat down on the couch. His thoughts flitted back to Phoenix. What was she doing now? Was she mad at him? Would she go look for the other bird-kids or stay on her own? Was she safe from the lab? Dominic hope he did the right thing to keep her safe…

************************************************************************

Avril narrowed her eyes at Dominic, as he sat on the couch and turned to Aalix. "He can't be trusted. He has no loyalty to us whatsoever. He's too focused on that freak of nature."

Aalix listened thoughtfully, Caius beside him with arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "And what do you propose?"

"A choice. Dominic will have to choose over his life…or his little girlfriends."

Caius's eyes lit up. "How do you plan to do that?"

Avril grinned slightly, a wicked grin, her eyes glittering darkly with malice. "Well…"

**(A/N: muhahaha! Cliff hanger! Now go review it plz! also check out the poll on my profile and vote on which story should be my top priority!)**


	8. Trap

**(A/N: Muhahaha FINALLY updated!!! And I'm working on the next chapter now! P.s. I like reviews. And if you don't review than Dominic shall track you down and suck your blood! -just kidding. But seriously though: Review. Pretty please? Pretty please with a super-hot vampire on top?)**

Phoenix flew above in the skies, it was a beautiful day out- perfect for flying. It had been a couple weeks since Dominic left and she missed him…a lot…Flying helped take her mind off of him. She still couldn't help but wonder if he thought of her.

She shook her head. _Its no use to think of him. He's not going to come back. I'll probably never see him again. I should just forget about him._ But no matter what she did, she couldn't get the teen vampire out of her head. Phoenix looked up sharply, surprised when she heard the loud clash of thunder from above her. She'd been so wrapped up with her thoughts of Dominic, that she hadn't noticed it when the winds changed, the clouds darkened and a storm began(she really should have checked the weather forecasts). The clouds began to poor down rain as Phoenix headed back towards the ground. She landed in the forest, under the cover of the trees and her wings were already wet. She looked around for a place to wait out the storm and only saw an opening to the cave.

The entrance looked pretty large as Phoenix headed towards it warily, recalling her last experience in a cave. The inside of the cave was smaller than expected, but there was at least enough room to dry out her wings before folding them in again. She retreated to the back of the cave- it wasn't all that deep- to stay away from the rain being blown in by the wind. She felt uneasy and hoped that the storm wouldn't last too long.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flurry of movement and a strange yet familiar scent filtered into her nostrils. Phoenix barely had time to react as a figure slammed her to the ground. She kicked him off and pushed off the ground, back-flipping to her feet as the figure of Caius lunged at her again, slamming her viciously to the wall. Phoenix high-kicked him in the jaw and wrenched out of his grip, pushing him to the ground as she heading for the entrance. Unfortunately, Caius had reached and grabbed her ankle, dragging her to the ground and lunged over top of her. He flipped her on her back and held her by the shoulders with a cruel grin and a crazed look in his ink-black eyes.

Phoenix went to get away but found that she couldn't move. Her eyes widened with the realization that she was completely paralyzed from the neck down. She tried to manipulate fire like she did last time, but found that it wasn't working- she couldn't create the fire needed to get free! She tried to struggle away, but his was no use as Caius leaned down and she felt his fangs pierce the soft flesh of her neck once more, puncturing the veins of her neck as he feasted on her blood.

*****

Dominic walked through the forest alone and sulking. The clouds were dark gray and it was raining heavily, but he didn't bother going anywhere for better cover. He'd been with the Coven for a few weeks and he was thoroughly sick of the place. He missed Phoenix but he knew that if he went anywhere near her, Aalix or Caius would use it a reason to attack her. Besides, she was probably safer and better off with out him. He was a constant danger to her. Despite her arguments that she was just as strong and fast as any vampire, he could still attack her at any moment and she really only had the upper hand over a vampire when she had access to the skies. Her hand-to-hand combat inside closed areas needed work. Still, he couldn't help but wish that he could have given her a proper good bye. She was the only real friend he's ever had and she was much better company than the bone-headed, prejudiced, in-serious-need-of-anger-management, power-hungry vampires in the Coven. He'd seen the hurt in her eyes as she flew off and he still felt a pang every time he saw that face in his thoughts.

_She's probably forgotten about me by now, or at least gotten over it. _He thought sullenly. He wanted to be around Phoenix again, even though he worried about attacking her from her intriguing and desirable scent. But if never seeing her again meant protecting her from Caius, then so be it. He wouldn't stand by and let her be turned into an all-you-can-eat-buffet for Caius.

_I just wish I could see how she was doing. I wonder where she is now. Could she have left the city? Probably, I can't imagine someone like her sticking around in one place for too long. She has wings for god's sake, she'll want to be free, to go where she wants when she wants. And I'm sure that where she wants to be is far away from the Lab and far away from here._ He sighed inwardly as he saw a bright violet flash from out of the corner of his eyes.

He whipped around to see Avril standing in the forest, a faint violet glow fading from her necklace. "What are you doing here!" he snarled. "I told you all that I was going for a walk and wanted to be alone."

Avril rolled her eyes. "Aalix sent me. There's a bit of a problem that he thought should come to your attention."

"Well I'm sure the 'great Aalix' doesn't need my help for much of anything. And I doubt that it involves me anyway. Now leave me the fuck alone." Dominic scowled, turning away.

Avril's lips curled up into a twisted smile with a hint of a smirk as her eyes glittered. "Oh but brother dearest, it _does _involve you. You and you beloved little freak friend," She smirked and crossed her arms.

Dominic stiffened and slowly turned. "What you mean? What's happened to Phoenix! What did you do!"

"_I_ didn't do anything. But Caius was out hunting and caught of a whiff of her scent. He was _so_ thirsty and completely lost it. He ran off before Aalix could stop me. We tracked him down and it looks like he's got the mutant pinned down in a cave. His powers sure do come in handy when he hunts."

Dominic's eyes narrowed to slits and his hands curled into fists. Avril and Caius made him sick- especially Avril right now. He could see through the false smile, the little bitch was faking concern, making it seem like it was all an accident but Dominic saw right through it. "You fucking liar! You set her up didn't you!"

"Really, Dominic, I'm quite appalled that you would say such a thing. Aalix promised to leave her be and as you stay here and argue with me, dear Caius is draining her life's blood away. I suggest you go find her- and quickly." With a glint in her eyes and the smirk seemingly plastered onto her face, she turned around and slinked off through the undergrowth, disappearing into the shadows of the forest before Dominic saw a bright violet flash again.

Disgusted, Dominic turned and bolted off towards the cave that Avril had mentioned. As he neared it, he began to scent them due to his enhanced senses. And although the rain washed most scents away, he could smell the blood quite clearly. He sped up, his mind numb with one thought and one desire: to save Phoenix.

He skidded into the clearing where the cave entrance was and saw Avril and Aalix calmly leaned up against the outside but only for a moment as he lunged into the entrance only to be thrown back as Aalix blocked his path. "What the fuck are you doing?! Get out of my way!" Dominic lunged again, this time stopped by Avril.

"You fucking promised that Caius wouldn't hurt her!" Dominic snarled, lip curled and fangs bared.

Aalix blinked indifferently. "I'm quite aware of what I said. However, I have my doubts as to whether or not you'll keep up your side of the bargain. Consider this a little test of your loyalty. Either you give up your friendship with that pathetic girl, quit your damn sulking and stay with us, you go rescue her and we kill you both. Choose wisely now," his eyes glittered darkly while Dominic seethed in rage.

"Aalix…you can take your damn offer and shove it up your ass!" Dominic snarled and lunged again towards the entrance of the cave. The scent of Phoenix's blood was overwhelming and he caught a glimpse of Caius straddling her and pinning her down, his fangs plunged deep into her neck and devouring her sweet blood. He could see her try to struggle away, how her expression was tense and furious, and how Caius's was delighted and thirsty as he vicious ripped at her neck with his fangs, spilling more blood than he consumed. He could see how her supply of blood would never end.

Aalix rammed into him and threw him backwards. Dominic landed on his feet and skidded back. He snarled viciously as the two lunged at each other again, fangs extended. Avril stood by, bored as the two battled, biting and slashing one another. Aalix right-hooked Dominic in the jaw and kneed him in the stomach, knocking him to the ground and kicking him repeatedly. He stepped back and nodded to Avril, who then stepped forward and locked eyes with Dominic.

He wasn't quite sure what she did, but he knew that it hurt like hell. Pain was shooting up and down his spine, it felt as though every limb was breaking and being torn off. It was excruciating torture. He let out a strangled cry of pain, writhing on the ground and convulsing. His thoughts weakened, and it became hard to think, to even know what was going on and what was happening. The pain was never-ending and only seemed to increase. It was as though he was being hit by a train or a semi-truck over and over from all sides, being crushed by rocks, electrocution, mutilation of the body, any pain one could think of. And it wouldn't stop. He couldn't think, only feel. He felt himself weaken, his vision grew hazy and dark but the pain intensified. He gritted his teeth to avoid from crying out again. He was going to die, he knew it now. Phoenix was trapped by Caius and would no doubt be kept as a prisoner by him. God, Phoenix…He was regretting this more than anything, and now he was going to die. He probably deserved it for endangering her like this.

He felt his body go limp, the torture reaching its height and it wasn't backing down soon. And suddenly…..it was gone. The pain was gone. His body felt completely numb and he had yet to open his eyes but he could hear a loud roar followed by furious snarls and the scent of vampire blood. He heard the beating of wings, the sounds of bodies being thrown against trees and rock. He opened his eyes, vision still blurry but as it cleared, he saw a large, powerful and sleek golden lioness with magnificent red and gold wings sprouted from her back. Her golden eyes are narrowed and malicious, her fangs and claws already stained with blood as she maneuvered around Avril and Aalix, fighting them both at once with ease. She clamped her jaws around Avril's neck and flung the vampire away. Avril hissed and slammed into her.

Dominic got back to his feet, the effects of the pain ebbing away. He had to fight. He ran towards Aalix, morphing into a black panther while Aalix himself turned into a startling creature that looked to be part cheetah and part wolf. As he and Aalix grappled for the upper hand, he saw Avril and Phoenix fighting hand-to-hand out of the corner of his eye.

Avril face twisted into a snarl. "Why isn't it working!" she hissed.

"What? You mean your stupid mind-game trick where you put me in intense pain? Well news-flash princess: You can't even _imagine_ the amount of pain I've been through in my life so your pathetic trick won't work!" She snarled and round-housed Avril in the face with a fierce kick.

His attention was brought back to Aalix when the vampire pinned him down and clamped his jaws around his throat. With a snarl, Dominic claws his face and ripped open Aalix's stomach forcing him off. The two circled one another, fangs bared and claws unsheathed. But then Dominic was bowled over from the side; Avril was back, a sadistic grin plastered on her face.

His eyes darted around and saw Phoenix locked in battle with Caius, his face and front stained with blood- Phoenix's blood- and the grin if insanity upon his face. He saw Phoenix morph into the magnificent lioness that had appeared before and take the upper-hand from Caius just as Avril blocked his view and locked eyes with him once more.

The excruciating pain returned with a vengeance. He let out an animalistic scream of fury and pain, writhing and twisting on the ground in the attempt the escape it but he could not. He couldn't even get to his paws and attack Avril, as he knew that she was causing this unbearable pain. His fangs shrunk and the fur disappeared and he lost control of the panther state and reverted back to his true form. Everything went black again, as he fell unconscious and limp, the last thing he saw being Avril's cruel, triumphant grin.

**(A/N: ah, don't you just love endings that leave you wondering how the fuck something's gonna end? Well you'll find out how the rest of the battle goes in the NEXT chapter! And don't forget my request from the LAST A/N all the way up at the top^)**


	9. Should I Stay or Should I Go?

**(A/N: OMG I finally updated! xD thank MihealK33hl for that. She made a deal with me that if I would update either Hidden Identity or Like A Drug, she would work on Shattered Justice and update it. Well of course after we made the deal, I had to get off the comp and when I was up in my room, I saw my Max Ride books and thought about my own kickass blonde girl with wings which got me motivated to write. Finally. So if any of you have actually bothered to read this rather long Authors Note, just be like the others and skip over the damn thing.)**

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Review!

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Phoenix slammed the vampire's skull into the rock side of the cave. She'd never been so angry in her life, she was literally seeing red. Her thought were muddled, she was doing everything by the animal instinct of a lioness. In this fight was she was a killing machine, everything she'd been designed to be. Her jaws locked around his neck and she clamped down, her claws sinking into his flesh and bursting into flames. She pinned him down by the shoulders and jerked up viciously at his neck, twisting it and ignoring his short scream of agony. Her ears pricked and she dropped Caius, turning towards another sound of pain.

Her amber eyes narrowed as she saw Avril standing over Dominic as he blacked out, reverting back to his human-like form, but she was doing nothing, absolutely nothing. Phoenix let out a grown and stalked toward the vampiress. With a roar she lunged, tackling Avril to the ground. Avril threw her off with a strength that no human could hope to possess and sent Phoenix flying towards the rock wall. Phoenix quickly reverted human and unfurled her wings, catching her self just inches away from slamming into it. In that few moments, Avril lunged up at her and pinned her to the rock only for Phoenix to kick her roughly in the gut and send her barreling headfirst into a grove of trees. Phoenix pounced on her, tearing and ripping at her flesh. She bit down on one of her shoulders and jerked it out at the joint, throwing the arm away into the forest. Avril let out a shriek as Phoenix scored her claws down her faces and slit her throat.

_That will keep her out of my way for a while._ Phoenix turned to see that Caius and Aalix had ganged up on Dominic. Phoenix angled herself down and streaked right into the older two vampires, grabbing them by the necks with her hands. Her fingernails had extended into talons and dug themselves painfully into their necks. She swerved around, slamming them into the rock, gripping their necks more tightly with their blood running down her hands.

"You two really know how to piss a girl off, don't you?" she growled lowly.

"Bitch!" Caius spat in her face and threw her off, attempting to make her go sailing through the air. However, Phoenix merely back-flipped and flew right back at them, catching them and slamming them into the rock again.

"That was not very smart, dumbass." Phoenix took Caius and threw him with all her strength, right into Avril as the girl had attempted to lunge at Dominic. As for Aalix, Phoenix dived and plowed Aalix face-first into the ground for a good couple of yard right into a boulder. Phoenix let go last minute and dove up.

She turned herself around to look at Aalix with a satisfied smirk. "Oops."

Aalix growled, morphing back into his strange creature-form and lunged up at her. Phoenix morphed as well and dove down, angling herself last minute and ramming into him from the side, her jaws wrapping themselves around his throat as she dove upward thousands of feet high at an altitude that no human could breathe at. She clamped her jaws tighter around his neck, choking him the way a lioness would choke her prey.

She sank her claws into his chest and back, raking them down his sides, her back claws digging into his stomach and trying to tear it out. Without warning, her fangs and claws burst into flames. Aalix yowled as Phoenix shook her head, violently tearing his throat. She bit down even harder, shaking more roughly as she tore at him brutally. Phoenix heard the satisfying CRACK of his neck bone, the flames spreading into his wounds. It didn't take Aalix long to see what she was trying to do; Phoenix was attempting to rip him apart and burn him _from the inside_. Aalix snarled, clawing at her but it was in vain, as soon as her skin was ripped it would heal right over. In a desperate attempt, Aalix ripped himself away, causing more damage to his mangled neck and fell thousands of feet down to the ground.

Phoenix dove down again, veering out of the dive and slamming into Avril, Caius, and the injured Aalix. She landed in front of Dominic, it didn't take a genius to see that he was barely conscious and badly injured. She let out a ferocious roar, blood dripping from her fangs, golden-amber eyes narrowed and glowing in hate, rage, and bloodlust. Phoenix clenched her teeth and bared her fangs, lip curled. Her unsheathed bloody claws scraped the earth with anticipation of ripping them into the enemy. She crouched down, muscles rippling and ready to pounce, her tail tip flicking. The lioness was on the prowl and eager to embark on the hunt. The main course? Vampire.

Phoenix growled lowly and viciously. It was an obvious warning to get the hell out unless they wanted the shit claws out of them. Aalix, injured as he was, stood up, his injuries already healing, at least some of them were. Avril had reattached her arm and seemed more than ready to jump back into the fight. Caius glared at her with hate and hunger. Aalix turned away.

"We'll be back, little kitty. And next time we'll have your boyfriends head," he spat. Caius and Avril flanked the older vampire and followed him back to whatever hole they crawled out of.

Phoenix let out a strange noise, not really a roar or purr or grunt but from the amusement in her eyes it was obvious to see she was laughing. Her bloody fangs were still bared as she opened her jaw to lick the blood from around her mouth. Once the vampires were long gone, she turned back towards Dominic. He'd fallen unconscious again and the ground around him was soaked with vampire blood. She sniffed him slightly then sat down with a sigh and licked the blood from her paws and her pelt. She shook her fur slightly then picked up Dominic gently and placed him on her back, taking off into the forest for a safe place.

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The next day at sunset, Dominic finally woke. His wounds had completely healed. Phoenix was looking over him, now in her human form, her wings curled around her. Her brown eyes looked at him warmly. He could see leaves above her, moonlight filtering through and giving her a soft silver halo around her strawberry-blonde hair. He could feel bark beneath his back. He blinked slowly, letting his gaze come into focus. His limbs were sore and…the wind changed blowing Phoenix's scent towards him. He was thirsty, _really _thirsty. He blinked again, his fangs extending slightly as he sat up to find himself lying on a thick branch of a tree.

"Well its about time you woke up," Phoenix said casually as she leaned back up against the trunk of the large tree.

"I-I have to go…to hunt…" Dominic's voice was strained as he saw Phoenix expression change. Evidently she forgot that he would need to feed when he woke.

"Oh…yeah, right. Go ahead. I'll just hang around here."

Dominic nodded and lunged out of the tree, bolting off into the forest. It didn't take him like to find a bear and take it down. He drained the bear dry and wiped away the blood around his mouth. He sat down with a sigh, leaning up against the trunk of a tree. _What am I really doing here?_ He reflected over the events of the past couple of months. _It seems that around every corner, Aalix and his coven are there to try to force me to join them and hurt Phoenix in the process._

He shook his head slightly, his dark bangs falling over his light golden eyes. Why should he care so much about what happened to Phoenix? He'd never cared about a single person before, never bothering to make friends. But Phoenix was…different. He shook his head again and sighed. _I'm sure the only reason I feel this way is because I want her blood, her blood and the blood of no other. Because of this I am a danger to her…but…why do I care of I'm a danger to her if I don't care?_ He let out a soft groan, tilting his head back and resting it against the trunk. Phoenix had grown on him, he'd never expected to care so much about anyone else, and he couldn't figure out just what it was about her. He definitely considered her a friend and maybe…maybe even something a little bit more than that. Right now he was just so confused.

_I do know this: I'm a danger to her. And its getting harder to control myself around her too. Besides, as long as she travels with me, it will be easier for Caius to find her again and I can't let him hurt her but…I don't want to leave her._ Dominic sighed again. Why did everything have to be so confusing? Yet as he thought about it, Phoenix wasn't completely helpless. She was the one who saved the day- and him. _If she could fight Aalix, Avril, and Caius and come up unharmed…well then she could probably fight me off too if I did loose control. But even if she can, it doesn't mean she will if she feels the same- which I doubt she does. Ugh, I think I'm starting to confuse myself. _Dominic looked up towards the sky to see the moon rising high in the sky, the stars bright and twinkling. He stood up and stretched slightly, figuring that he should probably get back to Phoenix and hoping that a solution to the problem would present itself so he wouldn't have to think so hard.

*****

Phoenix sighed, staring off into the horizon and watching the sun set. She was leaning up against the tree trunk, one leg dangling off the branch she was sitting on, the other leg bent with the foot against the branch. It seemed to her that Dominic was always running off these days and that her life was involving a lot more fighting than it used to. She knew that Dominic would be worrying; it didn't take a genius to see that he was the type of a guy who always wanted to be the girl's knight in shining armor, the hero. Only problem? She wasn't a damsel in distress and she sure as hell didn't need a knight or a hero. Phoenix could take care of herself. _He'll probably be freaking out over how he's a "danger" to me because he wants to suck my blood, Caius wants to suck my blood, Avril just wants me dead(Ha! Like that will ever happen), and Aalix wants HIM dead and he'll have to deal with me if he tries. Well, at least I can't say that my life is boring._

She blinked, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness as it fell over the land like a soft blanket, the soft glow of the stars and the moon serving as the only sources of light in the wilderness. _I hope he comes back…he's the best friend I've ever had._ Unlike Dominic, Phoenix did have other friends back at the orphanage because she didn't have the problem with the whole "I need to suck human blood to live" problem. Even so, she'd always distanced herself from them, afraid to see what would happen if they'd learned about her wings. Hell, she was even more afraid of being sent back to the lab _because_ they'd learned about her wings. But with Dominic, she didn't need to worry. He knew what it was like to be different. And if he did leave without telling her, she was going to hunt down his sorry ass and beat the shit out of him.


End file.
